Epic Tour: Around Lake Erie

14 Day Epic Tour

Tour Information

Date: 07/05/21 - 07/18/21

Meet: Cleveland, OH

Time: 2:00pm

Tour Price: $3690

Single Upgrade: $1200

Join us on the third of our series of tours circumnavigating America’s Great Lakes. We start in the ”Comeback City“ of Cleveland, Ohio and head east around Lake Erie, stopping for a layover day in Buffalo. You can use the day to visit one of the natural wonders of the world, Niagara Falls. After our day off, we bike through quiet Canadian farmland and then cross back to the USA on a ferry through charming Pelee Island. If you like to ride a lot of miles and stay in comfortable, but not fancy, hotels, then this is the tour for you.

Fly or take the train in and out of Cleveland, OH. Or drive and leave your car in Cleveland during the tour.

Tour Details

DAY 1: We meet at our hotel in the heart of the North Coast Harbor of Cleveland, OH. You’ll be within walking distance of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the International Women’s Air & Space Museum and the Great Lakes Science Center. We’ll start our tour at 2:00pm with an orientation, followed by a bike prep and then dinner together. 0 miles.

DAYS 2-11: We’ll run this tour as we do our cross-country tours. After a light, nutritionally balanced buffet breakfast, we’ll pack our bike bags with snacks, and make sure we have an extra layer of clothing and a rain jacket with us.

We’ll ride out of the city on the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway. Once out of town, the landscape will become gently rolling and flat, as we roll by farmland, vineyards and orchards.

We’ll support this tour with our Honda CRV SAG vehicle that holds water, snacks, tire repair tools and a first aid kit. Even if you don’t need anything, you can stop to chat and talk about the wonderful tailwind or the panoramic view.

Lunch is on your own during the day if you want something heartier than the snacks out of our SAG vehicle. We encourage you to stop and get a taste of the local fare and gossip.

Once at our hotel, you’ll find your luggage, (delivered earlier by the WomanTours van and trailer,) and check-in to your room. We rotate roommates every night, unless you’ve requested a specific roommate or to upgrade to a single room. There will be time to shower before dinner and perhaps take a dip in the hotel pool.

Most of our motels will be AAA-rated or better, and most of us will be in double occupancy rooms. If anyone has experienced bike problems during the day, we’ll use the time before dinner to work with the guide to fix it.

Then we’ll eat dinner outside together, scrumptiously prepared for us by our traveling chef. She keeps everyone’s dietary issues in mind when designing her menus. We serve it family-style, and there’s plenty for everyone. After dinner, the guide holds a map meeting to discuss the highlights of the day and to go over the details of the next day’s route.

We’ll have one layover day on this tour in Buffalo, NY to give our bodies a chance to recover. You can do the optional ride to Niagara Falls where you can hike down into the gorge, take the jetboat tour through the rapids, or visit the Cave of the Winds to walk beneath the falls and feel their immense power. Lunch and dinner are on your own today. 49 miles average per day.

DAY 12: Our ride back to the USA includes 2 ferries as we cross the lake via the southernmost community in Canada, Pelee Island. The island is on major migratory bird and butterfly routes, and is home to the Ecological Trail System. The trails were constructed to provide access to the beaches, forests, sand dunes, and marshes found nowhere else in Canada. You’ll cycle past a lighthouse, winery and several nature preserves and have time to kayak if you’d like.

DAY 13: Our last day of cycling takes us back to our starting hotel in Cleveland along the Lakefront Bikeway. We’ll end our tour with a celebratory dinner before saying our good-byes.

DAY 14: We will offer a complimentary shuttle to the Cleveland airport or train station arriving by 9:00am. 0 miles.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Ecological Trail System of Pelee Island

Niagara Falls

Canadian Waterfront Trail and Friendship Trail

Cleveland attractions: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the International Women’s Air & Space Museum and the Great Lakes Science Center

States of Ohio, New York Pennsylvania, and the province of Ontario

REGISTRATION DETAILS: To sign up for this tour, we require a nonrefundable deposit of $300. The balance of the tour price is due 75 days prior to the tour and is nonrefundable. We offer a 2% discount for paying by check.

SAG VOLUNTEERS: We use 3 SAG Driver volunteers on this tour who drive a Honda CRV SAG vehicle every 3rd day of cycling supporting the riders until the last rider finishes cycling for the day. She provides food, drinks, flat tire assistance and moral support, and becomes an integral part in the process of the tour. In return, each volunteer receives a discount of 40% off the full tour price, but no other discounts apply. If you're interested in a position, please email or call us.